March 18, 2023: Canadiens at Lightning — Five things you should know

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Here are five things you should know about Saturday’s game between the Canadiens (27-36-6) and the Lightning (41-22-6) in Tampa (7 p.m., SNE, CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

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Goalies take a beating: Thursday night’s 9-5 loss to the Panthers in Florida was not a good night for the Canadiens’ goalies. Samuel Montembeault started the game, but was pulled only 6:04 into the first period after allowing three goals on six shots. Jake Allen replaced him and allowed six goals on 18 shots before head coach Martin St. Louis decided to put Montembeault back in at 7:33 of the second period. Allen was given the loss, dropping his record to 14-23-3 with a 3.56 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage. Montembeault, who stopped 21 of the 24 shots he faced against the Panthers, has a 13-13-3 record with a 3.34 GAA and a .904 save percentage. Montembeault will start again in goal against the Lightning.

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Drouin punished: St. Louis told reporters in Tampa that Jonathan Drouin had missed a team meeting, so he wasn’t allowed to practise with the team on Friday and it’s uncertain if he will play against the Lightning. Drouin picked up an assist against the Panthers, giving him 25 assists in 46 games this season. While he has only one goal, Drouin ranks second on the Canadiens in assists (five behind captain Nick Suzuki) despite missing 23 games because of injuries. In his last 21 games, Drouin has 1-17-18 totals. Suzuki leads the Canadiens in scoring with 21-30-51 totals, followed by Cole Caufield (26-10-36), Kirby Dach (12-23-35) and Josh Anderson (21-10-31). Caufield has missed the last 23 games after having season-ending shoulder surgery, while Dach has missed the last 15 games with a lower-body injury.

Guhle misses practice: Defenceman Kaiden Guhle didn’t take part in practice Friday after appearing to suffer a lower-body injury during the third period against the Panthers. The Canadiens said Friday was a therapy day for Guhle. The rookie defenceman was taken down behind the Canadiens’ net by the Panthers’ Colin White in the third period Thursday night. Guhle grabbed his left leg in pain before getting up, leaving the ice and going to the locker room. He returned a few minutes later and finished the game. Guhle missed 23 games earlier this season with a left knee injury.

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Matheson producing: Defenceman Mike Matheson scored a goal and added an assist against the Panthers, giving him 7-16-23 totals in 35 games this season. In his last 19 games, Matheson has 6-10-16 totals. He leads the Canadiens with an average of 24:05 of ice time per game. Fellow defenceman David Savard ranks second on the team in ice time with an average of 22:25.

Lightning on a roll: The Lightning are coming off back-to-back wins over the Devils in New Jersey, winning 4-1 on Tuesday and 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday. They are sitting comfortably in a playoff spot in third place in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning are tough to beat at home with a 24-6-5 record at Amalie Arena. They won the first two meetings between these teams this season, beating the Canadiens 5-1 in Tampa on Dec. 17 and 4-1 at the Bell Centre on Dec. 28. The fourth and final meeting between these teams will be next Tuesday at the Bell Centre. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 27-70-97 totals, followed by Brayden Point (43-37-80) and Steven Stamkos (29-40-69).

scowan@postmedia.com

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